Rake-o-rama

Helping Hands Reach Out To Dupage Seniors To Tackle Yardwork

November 15, 1998|By Lynn Van Matre, Tribune Staff Writer.

For years, Ann Kralicek's husband kept the family's lawn and parkways picture-perfect. But Joe Kralicek died five years ago, and now his widow can't keep up with the weeding, raking and pruning required to keep things looking good on her home's quarter-acre corner lot in Lombard.

"The spreading yew bushes need cutting back, the border of our wishing well is overgrown with weeds and the lawn needs raking," lamented Kralicek, a senior citizen whose outdoor activities are restricted by asthma. "I can't do it myself, and lawn services are horrendously expensive. My grandsons try to help out, but they're too young to do much."

Kralicek's story is a familiar one to Joan Taylor, executive director of the DuPage Senior Citizens Council. According to Taylor, when the Senior Citizens Council staff did research in the early 1990s on the services older Americans needed in order to stay in their own homes, they found that "getting help with yardwork" and other outdoor tasks was at the top of the list. Shortly after, the council launched its Community Chore Days program, now in its eighth year, to help seniors such as Kralicek.

"We thought, what a great way to involve volunteers," said Taylor, who helped inaugurate the project in 1991 with a pilot program in Elmhurst.

On Chore Days, held on one or more Saturday mornings in the spring and fall, volunteers of all ages team up to do yardwork for seniors in participating municipalities throughout the county.

"At this point, we have about 175 senior households that need help, and we're still getting calls," said Judy Barr, director of the council's Chore Days and home maintenance programs. "About 300 volunteers have signed up, but we could use many more, because the requests for help keep going up. It's never too late to volunteer."

The program, which targets (but is not limited to) low-income seniors, recently expanded to include residents of Wood Dale and Villa Park. During spring Chore Days, about 500 volunteers participated in yardwork projects at 140 senior households in Bensenville, Elmhurst, Glendale Heights, Lisle, Lombard, Warrenville and Westmont, according to Barr.

Volunteers are asked to bring rakes and other equipment; the Senior Citizens Council or participating municipalities provide leaf bags and stickers.

Workers start their day at a central site in participating suburbs, where they will be served bagels and beverages and be given directions to their work assignments.

In the last few years, Chore Days have become an increasingly popular volunteer project for families, church groups, school clubs, civic organizations and businesses for several reasons, Barr said. In Elmhurst alone, members of nearly 30 organizations regularly participate.

"Most people are really busy, but this is something that can be done in one day; it's not like signing up to be a Girl Scout or Boy Scout leader," Barr said. "It's a chance to get the point across to kids about giving back to the community and making an intergenerational connection.

"A lot of times the seniors make hot chocolate or serve pop and everybody enjoys visiting with each other," Barr added. "It's so neat when you see that intergenerational thing happening between the kids and the seniors. It's like catching a glimpse of a dream."

At Fenton High School in Bensenville, which has a community service requirement for graduation, Chore Days has become a popular volunteer option. Paul Witkus, community service coordinator at the school, said he expected as many as 100 students to help with yardwork.